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Dear Language Policy list members,<span style="color: rgb(84, 84,
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<u>Re: 'Respecting Linguistic Diversity? Language Discrimination
in the EU'. Hearing. Wednesday June 1st. Room JAN 2Q2 ELEN,
Liadh Ni Riada MEP, </u><br>
<br>
On behalf of the European Language Equality Network (ELEN) I would
like to inform you of the Hearing, <u>'Respecting Linguistic
Diversity? Language Discrimination in the EU</u>" on <u>Wednesday
June 1st in Room JAN 2Q2. <br>
<br>
</u>The hearing will discuss current issues concerning the
language rights of regional or minority language speakers,
language discrimination, and how this type of discrimination can
be dealt with.<br>
<br>
The programme and poster are attached.<br>
<br>
<u>Overview</u><br>
In January 2015 ELEN presented its Report to the UN Universal
Periodic Review (UPR) on language discrimination against
co-official language speakers (Catalan, Basque and Galician) in
the Spanish state. It revealed a shocking list of beatings and
humiliation of people trying to use their official language with
state authorities. Unfortunately, the ELEN Report only reveals the
tip of the iceberg as there are many reports of this kind of
discrimination, both in Spain and across Europe. France, for
example, is notorious for being a 'rogue' state on this issue
having discriminated against its own ‘regional’ languages so
thoroughly in the name of a perceived threat to ‘unity’ that they
are all now defined by UNESCO as severely endangered. In addition,
we see regular occurrences of language based discrimination
happening to nearly all regional or minority languages in Europe.<br>
<br>
The hearing will discuss how the EU and its Member-States deals
with this problem. It will review the situation in various States
with presentations from ELEN Member NGOs working on the ground who
will provide the evidence for language discrimination with
numerous case studies.<br>
<br>
A panel of experts will assess the current language rights
situation and make recommendations with civil society stakeholders
on what measures the EU should bring forward to deal with the
situation. This will include the Council of Europe’s ECRI
recommendation’s that language discrimination constitutes a form
of both direct and indirect racism.<br>
<br>
Discussion, with participation from the Commission, Council of
Europe (FCNM and ECRML), OSCE HCNM, and the UN OHCHR, will focus
on how best to use existing legislation already in place such as
the Race Equality Directive and the Charter of Fundamental Rights,
the Donostia Language Protocol proposals, and on the ELEN proposal
for new legislation such as a language rights directive for
regional, minority and endangered language speakers. <br>
<br>
The Recommendations from the hearing will be presented to the
EP Culture and LIBE Committees, the Council of Europe, OSCE, the
UN and UNESCO.<br>
<br>
Programme information is here: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://elen.ngo/2016/04/15/elen-hearing-respecting-linguistic-diversity-language-discrimination-in-the-european-union/">http://elen.ngo/2016/04/15/elen-hearing-respecting-linguistic-diversity-language-discrimination-in-the-european-union/</a><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Guests without EP badges are invited to register at: <a
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.greens-efa.eu/events/registrations/796-respecting-linguistic-diversity.html"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.greens-efa.eu/events/registrations/796-respecting-linguistic-diversity.html">http://www.greens-efa.eu/events/registrations/796-respecting-linguistic-diversity.html</a></a><br>
<br>
Best regards,<br>
<br>
Davyth Hicks,<br>
<br>
<small>Dr. Davyth Hicks<br>
ELEN Secretary-General<br>
European Language Equality Network (ELEN)/ Eurolang
Representation to the EU,<br>
BRUSSELS<br>
Belgium<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="mailto:davyth.hicks@eurolang.net">davyth.hicks@eurolang.net</a><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="http://www.elen.ngo/information">www.elen.ngo/information</a><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="http://www.eurolang.net">www.eurolang.net</a><br>
Eurolang on Facebook <a moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eurolang/174907085047">http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eurolang/174907085047</a><br>
Eurolang on Twitter <a moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://twitter.com/eurolang">http://twitter.com/eurolang</a><br>
<br>
Eurolang and ELEN are registered NGOs. They have consultative
status with the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the
UN and UNESCO. They sit on the European Commission NGO Platform
for Multilingualism, the NGO Platform for Culture, the NGO
Platform for the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, and the UN's
ECOSOC.<br>
<br>
To date ELEN represents 44 language communities with 60 member
organisations in 20 European States.<br>
<br>
European Language Equality Network (ELEN)<br>
6 plasenn Gwirioů Mab-Den / place des Droits de l'Homme<br>
Ti ar Vro<br>
29270 KARAEZ/CARHAIX<br>
BREIZH - BRETAGNE<br>
Pg/tel/ fax : 00 33 (0)2 98 73 20 58<br>
Website <a moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.elen.ngo">www.elen.ngo</a><br>
ELEN on Facebook <a moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/European-Language-Equality-Network/412170375471752">http://www.facebook.com/pages/European-Language-Equality-Network/412170375471752</a><br>
<br>
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</small><br>
<br>
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